Stefanik touts port authority

Earlier in the day, the congresswoman also toured the Ogdensburg International Airport and received an update on the ongoing airport and terminal expansion. When completed, the $25.6 million upgrade will include a major runway expansion, a new terminal building, and a commitment from low-cost carrier Allegiant Air to begin offering nonstop flights from Ogdensburg to Florida.

Those flights are scheduled to begin in October.

Ms. Stefanik said she was impressed at the speed in which the airport project has unfolded since her last visit.

“It looks completely different because there has been so much construction,” Ms. Stefanik said. “We had the opportunity to drive down the longer runway, it was great to see that expansion. They’re working very hard to meet the timetable so they will be ahead of schedule.”

Ms. Stefanik said she was proud to play a role, along with other elected officials, in helping secure funding from the Federal Aviation Administration to help move the airport expansion project forward. She said she continues to remind other lawmakers in Washington that the OBPA’s infrastructure network is crucial to the regional and national economy.

“Whether it is our partnership with Canada, whether it’s the port, whether it’s the St. Lawrence Seaway, whether it’s our tourism opportunities, I am taking that story to Washington,” Ms. Stefanik said. “I am constantly highlighting the positive economic growth that we’ve been able to deliver for this district with so much help from our local advocates and our community leaders.”

Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority Executive Director Wade A. Davis praised Ms. Stefanik’s role in helping secure funding for the authority’s transportation infrastructure, and for her willingness to work on a bipartisan level.

“Actually delivering results, like you see here today, we couldn’t do without Congressman Stefanik, Senator (Charles) Schumer and Senator (Kirsten) Gillibrand. It really is a team effort,” Mr. Davis said. “What is good about infrastructure is that it is not a Democrat, it is not a Republican, it is not an Independent, it’s infrastructure. It creates jobs, it creates benefits and it creates employment that otherwise wouldn’t be here.”

Ms. Stefanik’s trip coincided with expansion projects at the Ogdensburg Airport and at the Port of Ogdensburg, both facilities operated by the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority.

The airport expansion includes a 1,200-foot extension of Runway 27, taxiway widening and extension, runway approach, lighting improvements, relocation of a section of Route 68 and obstruction removal. The airport terminal is also being expanded to better accommodate Allegiant Air, based in Las Vegas. The company will begin using the Ogdensburg Airport in October with planes capable of seating 156 to 223 passengers.

The airline is owned by the Allegiant Travel Co.

Expanding the Ogdensburg airport is expected to support 125 to 135 jobs, and the amount of direct and indirect economic activity produced by the airport could nearly double, from $7.4 million in 2010 to $13.8 million in 2017, officials said.